Stolen
by Phoenix Martinez-Ride
Summary: For the first time in her life, she was utterly helpless. It was a feeling that she didn't like, and she was ashamed. She had been kidnapped, and they had stolen more that just Astrid herself. **TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR RAPE, KIDNAPPING AND ABUSE, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**


**Hey guys, I'm back. I know shocker right? After all, I did say that I wouldn't be posting much, if anything. But this is just a short story, one that I have been thinking of for a while, that won't leave me alone. It's something that addresses a very serious issue.**

 ************ PLEASE SEE THIS DISCLAIMER BEFORE READING THE STORY. THIS IS NOT A JOKE, YOU ABSOLUTLY MUST READ THIS. I KNOW THAT IT IS** _ **VERY**_ **LONG, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I INCLUDE IT AND THAT IT GETS READ. ************

 ****This story deals with** _ **highly**_ **sensitive and serious subjects, and has the potential to be triggering to some people. If you think or know that you may be triggered by the following subjects,** _ **(note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you are triggered by something in this story that was not mentioned, I am really, really sorry, and had absolutely no intent to cause any kind of distress. But if this has happened please contact me so I can add it to my list)**_ **I would advise you not to read on.  
~Rape. ~Kidnapping. ~Abuse. ~Trauma. ~Psychological trauma. **

**This story is** _ **not**_ **intended to glorify, glamorize, encourage, applaud or otherwise perpetrate rape or rape culture. While the plotline of this story is based around said events, they will not be described in detail or mentioned or described more than necessary. The main reason I have written this is that as an aspiring psychologist, I want to explore the psychological side of this situation, and the aftermath and how damaging it is to a person.  
While this is my intent, I do not claim to understand what a survivor of this is going through, feels like or has experienced. I will try to do as much research as I can about people who have survived rape and their experiences as I can.**

 **While I am on this subject, I want to talk about something that is unrelated to my story.**

 **If you have ever been in this situation,** _ **please**_ **try to tell someone. It doesn't have to be the police or as soon as it happens, if you're not comfortable with that, it can be anyone you trust. But the sooner you contact the police, the better. Please just tell somebody. Don't bottle it up inside forever, because that isn't likely to help you.**

 **If you need somebody to talk to, there are many organizations around the world that are contactable via Email, online chat or phone calls that offer free, anonymous counselling or support. If you ever need to contact one of these, google 'crisis support service', 'free counselling services' or something similar. I wish that I could say that my inbox is always open, and that you can talk to me anytime, I really do. But I just can't. I'm so busy with stuff this year that if you tried to contact me via the PM system, chances are that it would take my days to respond, or even see it, and I'm so, so sorry about this. I had a small list of free counselling services, organized by country, but my computer crashed and I lost it.**

 **I know this has been a long AN, but I didn't feel like I could acceptably, morally or ethically post anything on this topic without it.**

 **Oh, and the story is set some time around RTTE, after the episode Astrid's Team. The riders are on Berk (I don't really know why, they just are. Make up your own reason if you want) and Astrid is staying at Hiccup's house, since her family's burned down.**

 **Astrid POV**

I sat on Stormfly's back hundreds of feet in the air, and closed my eyes, just concentrating on the feeling of the wind in my face. This was the best feeling in the world. This was freedom. When you're up this high, nothing else matters. Everything else gets left behind. All you can hear is the rush of the wind.  
Too late, I heard the other sound. I turned towards the high-pitched whistling and saw something very large rushing towards me, fast. It was moving so fast that I couldn't even tell what it was, much less attempt to dodge it. It hit me square in the side of the head and I slipped sideways out of the saddle. I screamed, panicking as I fell towards the ground, watching my dragon desperately try to catch me. I knew before it happened that she would fail, that she would never get me in time, because the forest we had been flying over was too thick for her to fly through.

Everything went black as I hit the treetops, crashing through the sharp branches.

 **Hiccup POV**

I was sitting on the dock, sorting eels out of the catch the fishing boats brought in with Fishlegs when I heard it. It was a distant, barely audible scream. A scream that belonged to Astrid. I dropped an eel in shock, causing Toothless to look at it distastefully.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Fishlegs.

"Hear what?" he asked, confused.

"Never mind. I guess I imagined it." I replied. After all, it had been so distant that I wasn't even sure that I had really heard it.  
We finished sorting the fish and I had all but forgotten about the apparent scream of terror.

When we got back to the village, we found the twins sneaking around my house, holding a bucket of something.

"What are you guys doing now?" I asked, exasperated.

"We were looking for Stormfly." Said Tuff

"We were going to put glue on her saddle!" said Ruff

"Then when Astrid sits down-"said Tuff

"She won't be able to get up! Finished Ruff, cackling.

"Well, I'm sure that would have been hilarious, but you're too late. Astrid left for a flight this morning." I told them.

I heard a dragon calling and looked up at the sky. I spotted the vivid blue of Stormfly's wings.

"There they are now." I said, more to myself than the twins.

As the dragon got closer to the village, I noticed something. Stormfly seemed to be flying crooked, like she had injured one of her wings. I turned quickly, and went in to my house, grabbing some of the healing herbs that Gothi had given me to use in emergencies. I got back outside just in time to watch the dragon clumsily land near my front door.

Not only was one of her wings bleeding, but saddle was empty. I remembered the scream I had heard earlier.

 _How could I be so stupid? How could I have ignored it?_ I cursed myself as I ran through the village in a blind panic. I ran as fast as I could, searching for Toothless. I _knew_ something was wrong.

I ran straight into Fishlegs, the force sending me flying backwards. I landed flat on my back in a puddle. Fishlegs held out his hand to me, helping me up. As soon as I was back on my feet (or, well, foot), I went back to running.

"Uh, Hiccup? Is everything OK?" Fishlegs asked, running alongside me.

"No. Astrid's missing. Go find Meatlug and meet me in the air. There's no time to get the others." I replied. Fishlegs nodded and veered off towards the academy.

I finally found Toothless lounging on a rock at the edge of the forest. He looked up at me, startled at my panicked demeanour, and immediately jumped off his rock, landing beside me.

"Come on bud. We have to find Astrid." I told him, climbing in to the saddle. We flew back to my house, to collect Stormfly, so she could lead us to Astrid.

We had been flying over a thick forest for over half an hour before I saw it. A large hole in the cover of the treetops. The branches were newly broken and there seemed to be small spots of blood and bits of snagged fabric on the branches. I carefully directed Toothless down between the trees, landing on the forest floor. There was even more blood here, as well as Astrid's axe. This was especially worrying; Astrid would never leave her axe lying in the dirt. Something was very wrong.


End file.
